Speedy Gonzales in a BMW

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Pretty impresssive?

film clip

 

Edited to say it seems it's in Sweden! So not Gonzales at all.

[Blatman]

It seems you need a DivX decoder to see the picture, and I can't seem to get DivX past the firewall here at work. Sounds good though...

[James]

Wont work for me either  Ive just been playing with my fathers m3 for the past couple of days and I have to say it is bl**** impresive! the only problem is everything else seems slow by comparison even the westy

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Sorry chaps, it IS worth a look if you can get to a m/c that will show it.

[Blatman]

My machine at home has DivX installed, so I'll be checking it out later

[studbuckle]

That's never a 1/4 mile is it?

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Dunno Simon, but it's damn quick. The BMW sounds like an automatic  but it has a drag-chute on it so it's not a shopping car!

[Mike-SEiW]

It's a quarter mile. That airfield is not far form where I live

The beemer probably has a big V8 in the engine bay.

[steve wilson]

Here an old shape audi coupe thats quicker than that. They all run 500Ci motors producing around a 1000 bhp

John Sleath

Theres even a 205 gti thats as quick as this  

[cidersurfer]

Big V8s and auto boxes are a very common combination in drag racing. It means they can do a brake-torque launch. I was trying to explain it when I found this...

"This launch involves keeping the car stationary by flooring the brakes with the left foot, while using the right foot to rev up the engine against the torque converter. In technical terms, this preloads the entire drivetrain with the stress of a launch, allowing the engine to rev closer to its power and torque peaks at the starting line. Brake-torquing is also beneficial for turbocharged engines as it allows boost to build up before the launch, reducing turbo lag. The only problem is that there is a lot of stress on the transmission, and the consequent heat build-up can destroy your automatic gearbox. Unless your car has too much power for the tires to handle, a brake-torque launch usually will not spin the wheels. This is because the automatic transmission absorbs the shock by design, and brake-torquing actually reduces stress on the rest of the drivetrain. Instead of a sudden massive load, the drivetrain has the torque applied slower instead of one huge jolt. "

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

For those of us of a "certain age" that technique is called a "take-off  a la Caravelle". The Caravelle was a French airliner of the sixties and it had so little grunt that it would make it off the ground fully laden only if it was revved to maximum power with the brakes on and then let go.

[Frau Vesty]

It seems you need a DivX decoder to see the picture, and I can't seem to get DivX past the firewall here at work. Sounds good though...

AAaaah would that same thingy explain why I can only get sound when I try and watch videos in Firefox, yet they work fine in IE?

[markcoopers]

European drag car regs state that any "road going car" (MOT, treaded tyres, lights, norn, wippers, pump fule) achieving a terminal speed @ 1/4 mile of 150mph or over must carry a chute.

Forget the guys name, but a saab 99 held this title for a while. Yep big block chevy in rear seats, rummered to be close to 1000bhp and chute.

[Barry Ashcroft]

F@@k me thats quick

[hilux]

Theres even a 205 gti thats as quick as this  

I went to the `retro classics` magazine day at santa pod last week.

I cannot tell you how quick some of these `classics` are.

Mk 1 escorts etc close to 11 sec 1/4 mile................awesome day out, highly recommended.